Interesting criticism I found about us "RPG guys".

[Umbran]

Sports fans? Absolutely the same, though in competitive sports, there are no arguments about who won.

But there are plenty of arguments about who should have won - questioning umpires and referees is common in sports discussion.

 

[Dausuul]

These sorts of crazy eruptions of hate over (seemingly) trivial matters are by no means a phenomenon of the RPG community. Try starting a discussion about politics. Or religion. Oh, wait, you're not allowed to do that on this forum for this exact reason.

Forget flame wars... real wars have been started over stuff like this.

 

[Wolf1066]

Forget flame wars... real wars have been started over stuff like this.

You must spread some Experience Points around before giving it to Dausuul again.

With real freakin' flames...

 

[Pig Champion]

I don't think anybody's claiming that the noted behavior doesn't occur in RPG circles! Just hang out on these boards long enough and you'll get plenty of examples.

What many of us disagree with is the idea that behavior is somehow unique or more prevalent amongst "RPG Guys". It's not. This behavior is prevalent amongst "Guys" (and Gals, or everybody who is human).

I would say that it is prevalent amoungst RPG people. They tend to explode more often over littler criticisms. Hell, I've even seen on this board people not even make a criticism and been called all manor of names.

Nobody is saying it doesn't happen in other hobbies but you can't say it isn't prevalent in the RPG community. It might even be prevalent in other communities as well but that still doesn't change the fact that RPG players get very snippy over nothing a lot more than they get snippy over something.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Yes! The imperical proof is there!

 

[Dire Bare]

I would say that it is prevalent amoungst RPG people. They tend to explode more often over littler criticisms. Hell, I've even seen on this board people not even make a criticism and been called all manor of names.

Nobody is saying it doesn't happen in other hobbies but you can't say it isn't prevalent in the RPG community. It might even be prevalent in other communities as well but that still doesn't change the fact that RPG players get very snippy over nothing a lot more than they get snippy over something.

You may be missing my point . . . and now I am angry and want to FLAME you!!!!! <heh, just kidding>

You're right, it is distressingly prevalent in our fan community, as well as other fan communities . . . again, nobody here is claiming otherwise, but the point is that it is not because we are RPG Guys but just simply because we are Guys.

 

[Pig Champion]

Sorry for the confusion. I'm saying it is more prevalent comparatively. While there is similar behaviour in other communties, you can't say there isn't more of it in the RPG community on average.

Perhaps it's the type of "guy" RPG's attract, I don't know but I disagree that it's just a guy thing. I'm involved with a lot of hobbies where your opinion doesn't garner such a reaction as it does in RPG circles.

(Excluding sport and punk music)

 

[Dire Bare]

Sorry for the confusion. I'm saying it is more prevalent comparatively. While there is similar behaviour in other communties, you can't say there isn't more of it in the RPG community on average.

Perhaps it's the type of "guy" RPG's attract, I don't know but I disagree that it's just a guy thing. I'm involved with a lot of hobbies where your opinion doesn't garner such a reaction as it does in RPG circles.

(Excluding sport and punk music)

Okay, I get where you are coming from now. I disagree, however. While we see plenty of it in our hobby, I don't think we necessarily see more than occurs in other areas of life.

 

[Wolf1066]

Okay, I get where you are coming from now. I disagree, however. While we see plenty of it in our hobby, I don't think we necessarily see more than occurs in other areas of life.

We see it a lot "here" because this is where we are. We don't see as much elsewhere as we don't spend the same amount of time there. If we were in other groups/hobbies a lot, we'd see it a lot there as well.

I've seen a lot of it in lots of different areas and I would not say RPGers are any more prone to it than bikers, pagans, linux geeks, Mac fan-boys or any other group you care to mention. I've seen some hideous flame wars over linux distros or types/styles/brands of motorcycle - most just as bull-headed as any flame war anywhere else.

Of course, I must be the worst of the lot - as a linux geek, RPGer, pagan, biker and so many other things as well, I've got a lot of different things to be opinionated and defensive about...

 

[TheClone]

RPG guys are also often young (which doesn't happen to model railway collexctors), according to those I know not the social kind of guy but more like goths, pc nerds and other society's misfits. And now they do have knowledge and a topic. Everybody wants to be the cool guy, so they try to be one by flaming others, to become "someone better than they". Don't know if that's true elsewhere, but where have been, it seems to be. Seems like I was one them also (or am I still? ).